Odisha migrants stage protest in Kurnool

Kurnool: Several people from Odisha state staged a protest on the premises of Zilla Parishad office here on Tuesday demanding the government to send them back to their native places else they will die of hunger.

Hundreds of people from the adjacent state Odisha have migrated to Kurnool in search of livelihood. Almost all of them have engaged at hotels, bar and restaurants, fast food centres and dhabas.

Due to lockdown, all migrants were thrown out of their employment and are starving since last 45 days. Neither the government officials nor the employers have taken any responsibility to feed them and their families.

Of not finding any source of surviving at the place, the migrants wanted to go to their native. Recently, the Central government has accorded permission that the migrants are allowed to go to their native.

With this, the Odisha migrants reportedly tried to approach the district collector but were denied to meet him. They were advised to meet the Zillah Parishad Chief Executive Officer (ZP CEO) Venkata Subbahaih, who is looking after the migrants transportation facilities. Based on the suggestion, the migrants reached the Zillah Parishad office but could not meet the CEO as he was accompanied with the Central team members, who visited Kurnool to study the spread of coronavirus.

On learning about his absence, they staged a protest on the premises under the scorching heat by sitting on the road.

When The Hans India contacted the CEO Venkata Subbahaih over phone, he said that the Central government has sanctioned 11 trains and Kurnool was sanctioned 3 Shramik trains.

Earlier a train boarded with the residents of Jharkhand and Bihar was flagged off a week ago.

Another train is likely to departure with Rajasthan migrants on Tuesday night. The Odisha migrants would be send as and when the Shramik Express returns from Bihar, stated the CEO.